1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device connector to be attached to a case of a device and to a method of producing it.
2. Description of the Related Art
A device, such as a motor, is housed in a metal case in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and a device connector, such as a terminal block, is attached and fixed to such a case. The device connector is connected to a wire-side connector provided on an end of a wire connected to a device, such as an inverter. U.S. Pat. No. 7,572,150 discloses a device connector that includes terminal fittings, a housing made of synthetic resin and a metal plate made of aluminum die cast. The metal plate of the device connector generally is formed with an opening, through which the terminal fittings are inserted, and the terminal fittings are held in the housing while being inserted through the opening.
The aluminum die cast metal plate in the conventional device connector provides sufficient strength, but has high production cost. Thus, a construction capable of ensuring sufficient strength at low cost by using a metal plate formed by press-working a metal flat plate material has been studied in recent years.
Metal and synthetic resin have very different coefficients of thermal expansion and, hence, the housing shrinks more than the metal plate in a cooling process after molding. Thought has been given to forming the housing with a flange that bulges out to cover up to an outer peripheral portion of the metal plate and embossing the surface of the metal plate so that the flange does not slip relative to the metal plate. Thus, the metal plate might forcibly prevent the shrinkage of the synthetic resin from the outer peripheral edge toward the opening of the metal plate. However, this approach does not prevent shrinkage of the synthetic resin in the opening. Thus, a crack may be formed at a boundary between the synthetic resin in the opening and the other synthetic resin. Crack formation in the synthetic resin deteriorates the external appearance and reduces adhesion at an interface between the metal plate and the synthetic resin to form a clearance. Water may enter inside through this clearance.
The invention was completed in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to improve production of a device connector.